Posts Tagged rain (bi)

One of the funniest moments I had in encounter with fangirldom was about Jang Geun-Suk’s clothes as Hwang Tae-Kyung in You’re Beautiful, when one of the Viki commenters complained, tongue-in-cheek, about his “slutty blouses”.

Exhibit A

It was the first time I’d seen someone use that word for a male. Instantly hilarious. Esp. with up-tight Hwang Tae-Kyung, who did have a somewhat obscure fashion sense, rocketing between clerical collars when out and barely-there knits when at home.

It would not be the last time I came across this particular brand of collar-bone pimping fanservice, but since You’re Beautiful was I think my first K-Drama, it left an impression.

just lovely, that'll do, thank you, yes

Of course, City Hunter pandered to us and the inevitable love of Lee Min Ho by giving him a similar taste going bare up there, even under his suit jackets. It could be the perfect blend between a Thai upbringing to heat-friendly clothes, and the metro persona he’s put on–I think the real Yoon-Sung would be bundling up a bit more in the cooler climate, if he had a choice…

Anyway, I went to look at a little Full House since it had been a while and I have a new appreciation of Rain lately, and it struck me.

this looks almost wrongly voluptuous--rail thin JGS and LMH can eat their hearts out

Of course. Of course he was the first.

He was the first to rip his shirt on stage, on national television, and continues be quite shrewd about using his physique to get him attention.

So apparently the world of k-drama fangirls owes him a lot more than I ever knew…

This is a bit of a non-clothing post, but trust me. There’s no missing the fashion-sense in this show.

could be awkward, but they're kind of past that

There’s something to love about the dynamic these two have after 13 episodes, in Fugitive: Plan B.

They’re not comfortable enough with each other to be friends, and they’re not in a position to be lovers, but they connect about the important things. They’re brothers in arms. Comrades.

you two are so cute when you scheme together...

In a weird way, they’re on the same wavelength. She’s never lacked for money, and he’s never lacked attention. She’s been on the run from criminals and he’s on the run from the law…while catching criminals. She can fight her way out, while he never seems to get out without a fight.

Very complimentary styles, though they of course madden each other in completely different ways.

two sexy people in the woods, and all they can think about is loot...

Rain’s character “Ji-Woo” is comfortingly predictable. He’ll look like a slacker until suddenly he gets struck by inspiration, and then spout off a cryptic metaphor before attacking the problem with everything he’s got. And go until it’s done. For Ji-Ni, I think his opportunism about money and girls is the kind of flaw that’s bearable. It’s pretty transparent.

On the other hand, Kai harbored an ability to betray her, buried very deep and apparently awoken only to protect her.

She’d rather have control than passion, though. For very good reason.

Yes, it's another woman. Too bad it's not an affair, she would love that...

And why she freaks out when he seems to be changing his ground, or withholding information he thinks she won’t like.

He’s not the kind to actually hide things once they’re done, but he can’t articulate that difference.

this office--so dysfunctional, one must come to love it

I had noticed that it had been a relievingly long time since we saw insomniac-Ji-Ni, right before they’re fight over (literally) the gold, and it was so sad to see her go back to that, the moment he wasn’t present in her heart as a protection.

And yet…his dollar-store magic wand goes under her pillow while she tucks in with her bludgeon. There we see she hasn’t really put him on the list of Untrustworthys. She just has to live raw to stay alive.

This fake-fight was somehow awesome to watch, since they aren't really fighting, but definitely getting some catharsis from it.

While he has (predictably) bugged her, he also is unpredictably relenting about the insult, while firm about getting past their misunderstanding. Ah, this is where his value shines through. His lack of pride about some of the skeevier aspects of his interests also makes him able to do this.

JiNi has little left of dignity or stability, and inner pride is all she has, so he has to be contrastingly yielding. It’s great to have a guy in that role, while being the type of real guy that could be…

She doesn't kill him for this. She is a saint, actually.

Thinking about it like this, it’s interesting to see how well their relationship DOES work. It backs up the way that I ship them, on a basic level–no, I don’t think we’ll see it happen during the show.

But as time goes by, and he remains cheerfully protective, she’s going to want more from him. And there will be other girls to make her aware of it, because Ji-Woo is shameless.

As for him, she pulls the serious self out of Ji-Woo. He has a bit of a learning curve when she rebuffs him, but later on there is enough of a connection whenever he reads an opening. She’s just too quick and stoic. I don’t think he’s in passionate love with her, but I think he’s the kind to build up that kind of feeling once he’s committed. But she’s a woman who can really know him, looking past the flirt and also past the professional.

Their insecurities are obvious to each other, and so are their strengths.

Okay, I’m frequently posting about ancient history, but I figure I can’t be the ONLY one who’s catching up with two decades of K-Pop after being sheltered for my first 20-some years.

Also, I have an ANGLE. [suits. if they’re suits, they’re relevant. Right?]

if this counts as a suit, apparently, yes

So, MBLAQ is kind of adorable to me, mostly because Rain and his mini-mes but this MV from BLAQstyle has wormed it’s way into my heart for a different reason…

it's hard to screencap this video, btw, because they are CONSTANTLY MOVING, thank you Rain-oppa's choreographer

Yes. We have the twisted military concept, each modified differently though from the same basic uniform look…

you may note I'm a sucker for intense blue/white palettes? yeah, sorry 'bout that

And as our other main concept, what really looks like a shojo-manga-hero uniform set. I understand that it’s the high contrast of black accented white, which isn’t a trademark of manga? But as someone who’s read Special A, Vampire Knight, and…many others, where the specialness of the school was displayed in the fact that they wear white (any normal mom’s nightmare uniform) it just screams, I am a Teen Dream

just like their faces do

One of the minor details that is interesting is this eyeliner that actually is not lining the eye but outlining it…it has a certain drama that’s not a look you can pull off in person but snaps the attention in a video.

Also, either they worked late before their solo shots, the color-tweaking brings it out, or there was an actual intent to let these guys look older than twelve. In certain shots they all have a sort of five-o-clock shadow. Stunning, considering they probably mostly can’t GROW facial hair to count by Western standards*.

These accessories likewise only work on screen, but they work HARD in the video.

There’s something about high-contrast buttons and fashion accessorized suits that just…grabs me the right way. It tickles my own sense of style which is “choose concept, muck it up”…

lo, the angst

And how can you not love altering a uniform in such a fashion it looks like a kimono when in motion?

The drape. It kills me.

*this may have come to my notice since I know one of the guys grew a bit of a beard to give them a “rough member” that was a little different in vibe from the boy group usual, and I found that idea intriguing.

In the past week or so, with a lot of things I was trying to keep OFF my mind, I watched more Korean variety TV than I have consecutively…well, ever. And let’s hope never again.

My dreams get full of hubris and beautiful Asian eyes.

These are just two outfits from Rain’s promotions of…well, actually Ninja Assassin, I think? But maybe one is from one of the albums. These are at least in the same family of shows, if not the same one, so there may be some time separating them.

Like on the last post, they’re screencaps I took my own self from YouTube, and not on HD. But you’ll get the point anyway.

I kind of love the comment the host was making in this shot, which was “He’s not saying deep words, but when they come out of his mouth, they *sound* deep.”

Heh. Maybe his psuedopreppy look is helping? Though Rain’s best attribute, as far as his acting’s concerned, is his ability to go from fun-loving goof to very earnest in a split second.

It’s interesting that not just here, but in the next set of photos, he’s going for a classic combo of vest over collared shirt, with slacks. In this case, he’s got glasses to take that image one step further, into hot Megane-kun territory, in the other case he adds more of a rocker vibe by wearing a tie layered with a large flashy necklace.

It actually looks like a riff off of school uniforms, though maybe I’m being influenced by the fact that the green and plaid look like one of the high school uniforms in my Japanese hometown… like, the thing a punk might do, or a manga artist might do on a front-piece of a chapter.

‘course if the sleeves weren’t rolled up it wouldn’t be the same.

OOH LOOK, I DO THAT TOO

okay, so I’m grasping at straws here. Any connection to Bi…

Weirdly in this photo I’m almost missing the glasses. I wonder if he really needs glasses at all? Because that would be kind of hot in that manga-secrets way.

TOP does, surely you can get with the program, Rain-sunbae?

d'aww you are so cute, but I'm sure you get that a lot

I really have tried to hold out against Rain, because he’s so superpopular he really doesn’t need my love. But at the same time…he’s a ferociously hard-working and talented guy. How’s a girl supposed to deal? Talent is like, my Achilles heel.

I’ve been watching an older drama, while simmering along in wait for subtitles on the shows that are current, starring Rain, and a lot of fun fight-scenes.

Also known (on Hulu, where I watch it) as Runaway Plan B, this is a gorgeously shot show where they knew how awesome shots would look in HD on a big screen, and planned accordingly.

As another show, like City Hunter, with an action/intrigue focus, and a high-tech friendly subject, they work a lot in cool colors for the industrial settings.

They also used locations where the detail may have been too complex to look well in lower resolution, but is drop-dead-gorgeous as well as evocative with a good lens on it.

Funny thing, though, the makeup department didn’t seem to get the memo. I first noticed it on Daniel Henney:

Figured it was just a problem of him being half-white and not matching the toners they had. But when it started really bothering me, I noticed that all the guys seemed to have the same color, and it looked kind of bad on others, too. They just aren’t the eye-candy type so it would bother me.

Even the leading lady was a little too yellow, when she’s a fair, blue-toned Winter. The subtleties needed for makeup on these newfangled shows was missed somehow.

There will be no comments on wardrobing, because I’m guessing it’s pretty easy to make guys look good when you’ve got Rain, who MUST be in v-necks and leather coolguy jackets, Henney, who looks good in anything businessman-like or average-guy-casual

and the ladies looked good in their suits, but there was *nothing* stand out in their wardrobing. I liked the detail of Jin-Yi wearing flat sandals of the kind of hippie type, and carrying flats a lot, but then sometimes she wears the high-heels of a Heroine, too. So I feel like they missed an opportunity for characterization there.

In the end, who cares? The point of this show is the compelling plot (which dragged a bit toward the 5th or so episode, but picked up again when the secrets were mostly out (an effect I was not expecting) and watching Rain ham it up.